purer nature. These are great truths, not to be stamped under the foot of ignorance, nor torn with the teeth of criticism, but to be studied in the word of God, where they lie revealed, and to be admired, as the way and the wisdom of God towards this mortal estate, out of which we are risen with Christ, and seated with him in the heavenly places, there to abide with him for ever in that heavenly Jerusalem; which, though upon the earth existing, existeth there as the manifested dwelling-place of God, the light long hidden in the secret heaven, the glory at present in the highest, the very dwelling-place of God, the lofty Acropolis, not of earth only, but of all creation.

Perceiving then, that God's purpose in the Jew is not yet accomplished, yea hardly well begun, I perceive it to be a hasty and erroneous conclusion, that in order to be a Christian, a man must cease to be a Jew. The thing is rather the other way, that we become Christians by being graffed into that branch of renown, which Abraham's root put forth in the person of Jesus Christ, who, while he was upon earth, was one of the most despised branches of that noble stem; but all at once from this slip of Abraham's tree burst forth the very glory of the tree of life, and it began to bud and branch forth in spiritual beauty and spiritual glory. Yet still it abideth in the trunk of Abraham; that is its soil, that is its bark, and from the body of that tree, this branch of renown, bearing fruit of heaven, came wondrously forth. If then Jesus himself did not cut asunder his unity with Abraham, why should any Jew be required to do so? Let those who are called in circumcision, says the Apostle, in circumcision abide; let those who are called in uncircumcision, in uncircumcision abide for neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. To say then that the Jew, or the child of a Jew, should be uncircumcised, is to make uncircumcision something; just as to say, that a Gentile must be circumcised is to make circumcision something. And the same with respect to the Law of Moses, which Christ hath kept, in its spirit for all men, seeing spiritually all men were obliged to it; both in its letter and its spirit for all the seed of Abraham. Jew and Gentile are alike delivered from its curse, and from its bondage, in receiving the

spirit of adoption. At his baptism Christ received the testimony of God, that he had been a faithful servant under the bondage of the law; that he had fulfilled its righte ousness in letter and in spirit: and we, in like manner, when at our baptism we receive the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of adoption, have the testimony of God, that he hath excused us from law keeping, because of that grace which is in him, and that perfect work of law-keeping which was wrought for all men, by Christ Jesus, made under the law; and from thenceforth during all our baptized life in the flesh, we are expected of God to sit free from the obligation of the law, being married to another, even to the risen body of the Lord Jesus Christ. If, therefore, we make it a matter of conscience before God, to observe the Law of Moses, we thereby deny the substitution of Christ as the Law-keeper. If, on the other hand, we make it a matter of conscience, not to eat with a Jew, or worship with a Jew, (worshipping Jehovah, and not denying Jesus,) we destroy our Christian liberty, and set up Jesus against Moses. What then should we make conscience of? I hear my reader exclaim. I answer, Make conscience of being free. Freedom standeth not in being hindered, this way or that way, by the Law of Moses, but in being hindered in no way at all. Most clearly did the Apostles act upon this principle, when they went to the temple at the hour of prayer; when Peter made his defence in the matter of Cornelius; when Paul made a vow and kept it; when he circumcised Timothy, because his mother was a Jewess, but would not circumcise Titus, because he was a Greek; when he declared, after his much labour among the Jews, to the brethren at Rome," Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered a prisoner into the hands of the Romans (Acts xxviii. 17). Let Christians, and Christian ministers, therefore shew their freedom by condescending to the weaknesses of their Jewish brethren, in order to free them from their bondage. Let us go in unto them, and enter into their conditions, and offend none of their prejudices; for surely Christ was no offence to Moses, nor was Moses any offence to Christ; and so entreating them with Christian love, and hearing with their Jewish bondage, whether with the un

derstanding of the mind, or of the flesh, let us endeavour what we can, to enlarge them into the same liberty. Surely Paul, who said, that, rather than make a weak brother to offend, he would not eat flesh while the world lasted, taught this lesson to the church. If the Moravian Brethren have sold themselves to be slaves, in order to win the poor Negro slaves of the West Indies; if Joseph Wolfe, the most successful of missionaries, have sold himself to a Mohammedan master, in order to reach the central regions of Africa, in search of his brethren, ought not we who dwell at home at ease, to deny ourselves many indulgencies, in the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, to save became a bondman, and to make us rich, became poor, ought we not to stoop from our dignity of sons and fellowheirs with Christ, and exercise the noblest prerogative of freemen, which is, to limit and curtail, and, if need be, forego our freedom, in order to emancipate many slaves. Ah me! Satan hath wrought dismally against the poor Jew. He hath made us Jews, in order to keep them Jews: he hath given us the pride of Jews, that we might trample the Jews under our feet. There is no redemption from this antichristian spirit of proud and sectarian Protestantism but one, the much contemplation and firm belief of that divinest act of God, his act of all acts inclusive, yea, the prerequisite of all acts, which is, his being contented to humble himself into the form of man, and the likeness of sinful man, yea to death itself, in order to shew us that grace of God, by which he becometh the Saviour of mankind. God enable us to walk after this high pattern.

Returning now to the epistle of our great Shepherd to the angel of the Philadelphian church, we observe that it is said of these Jews, not only that they should be given to him as a gift, but this moreover; "Behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." These words intimate that this election from amongst the synagogue of Satan should transfer their place of worship to the Philadelphian church, and conform themselves in all things to its holy ordinances, that, from standing up in their pride against the angel thereof, they should become heedful of his word and obedient to his instructions. The expression, "worship before thy feet," needs to be explained lest it should be thought to encourage in any way

the worship of saints on earth or saints in heaven. There are two kindred expressions in this book, which being considered do effectually prevent such a fatal delusion. The one in the xxii d chapter, at the 8th verse, where John, having heard and seen all the visions of the Apocalypse, was so overwhelmed that he fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who shewed him these things; but he forbade him, because he was only his fellow-servant, and commanded him to worship God. This incident shews us that it is not permitted to worship any angel or prophet, or faithful keeper of God's word; which therefore cannot be intended in the passage before us. The other place is in the xixth chapter, at the 10th verse; where it is written, "I fell before his feet to worship him; and he said to me, See thou do it not." In both these cases the same expression "before thy feet" is used as in our text; but in the original it is not so. In our text, the word is translated before in sight or view of; in the two passages cited, it is in presence of. It may seem a small matter, and I do not say it is a great one; yet I think it not unworthy of observation, because the presence is in the first mentioned passage understood as equally significant with the person worshipped; and a kind of argument might have been constructed for the creature-worship of the Romanists from the seeming identity of the two expressions in that place, and in our text. But granting that there were no difference between the two particles "in view of" and "in presence of;" and supposing they were perfectly identical and did signify the same thing, then what should we have but Christ admitting, yea enjoining in one place what in another he solemnly interdicts? The truth is, however, that in both cases the object of worship is omitted which in the other passage is introduced in the dative case, as it commonly or indeed almost always is. Instances of the like omission are frequent in Scripture, and indeed in all books and languages of men who know that God is the only legitimate object of worship. Wherefore then, it may be asked, is the expression "before thy feet" used at all? Because the angel of a church, being the head of it, as the representative of Christ, therein was wont to occupy a seat of dignity and elevation; so as that the church, when in the act of worshipping or prostration, might be

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said to be worshipping before his feet. Now the Lord promiseth that he would bring these Jews out of the synagogue of Satan to do the same; to mingle with the Phila delphian people, and reverently and humbly to worship God under the superintendance and ministry of their angel. I think, moreover, that there is in it an act of de ference and homage to Christ in the person of his minister. It is well known that this word worship is oftimes used both in sacred and in profane authors to signify that prostration, genuflexion, or other inclination of the body whereby in ancient times, and in eastern countries still, deference towards superiors is wont to be expressed; which indeed is the true radical sense of the word. over it is a common form in the Hebrew to connect it, as in the passage before us, with the presence of the person to whom homage is done: for example, " Abraham bowed himself before the people of the land," which both in the Hebrew and the Greek is, "Abraham worshipped before the face of the people of the land;" and I believe the expression before thy feet to be a Hebraism, to signify merely doing that homage to the Christian minister which the seed of Abraham will at present no more do than Mordecai would bow to Haman, and do him reverence as he passed him in the gate. With them a Christian and a Christian minister are the most loathsome and contemptible of all impostors but it shall come to pass, in the days of the Philadelphian ministry, that a conspicuous change shall be wrought upon them, and a goodly number, a notable and remarkable company shall come and worship in the Christian church, and give reverence to Christ, speaking in the Christian minister. That this is the substance of the thing signified by the words “ coming and worshipping before thy face," is, I think, clearly demonstrated by the words which follow, "And I will make them to know that I have loved thee;" by what means is not declared: but out of this knowledge of Christ's love their reverence for his servant proceedeth, whom they worshipped because Christ's love had made him worshipful. Beautiful con descension of Christ and high honour of the Christian minister! thus to concentrate upon a worm of the earth, his own heavenly love and the earthly homage and reverence of Jews, who were set apart to be a nation of kings. For more